Alright Ford you broke me - question for soft top owners

[indio22]

First off - I promise this isn’t a complaint thread.

I have a badlands on order (going on 2+ years now) and I’m sick of waiting.

I’ve already dropped the LUX and SAS from my order but I figured there was no way I was dropping the MIC.

But…I suppose I can always buy an aftermarket hard top (I know - not cheap). And at least this’ll net me $2500 on top of my PP (plus maybe I’ll finally get my bronco so my wife can stop hearing me complain about it).

so my question for soft top owners (especially in places with actual winter climates) - how do you like it? Do you regret not getting the MIC top?

I live in Colorado and spend a lot of time in the mountains. So for summer off-roading the easy conversion to “topless” is pretty appealing. But I’m mainly concerned about winter conditions (heat loss/blowing snow) plus noise concerns.

Just trying to gauge the quality of the soft top as well as get a sense of whether or not this is something I would really regret.

I appreciate any info or thoughts anyone wants to share.

I can't comment on the Bronco specific soft top, but I lived in and around Fort Collins CO for 10 years, and owned a soft top Jeep CJ-5 all that time. You already know the up side of soft top - take it down whenever for open top fun, especially when on the go. The downsides I experienced are below:

1) Snow and ice take longer to remove, so budget that time if in a hurry. You can't scrape the windows like on a hardtop, and overall you want to be careful scraping too hard with a brush. You won't have electric defroster for the back window. Basically the process of removing snow and de-icing, has to be considered in terms of time, especially if in a hurry to get going.

2) Ice crystals can form on the inner side, and then make inside humid or in bad cases drip down.

3) Nosier than hard top and colder (depends on design though).

4) Can't put a canoe or other items directly on the top. I used foam blocks on the gunnels of my canoe, and strapped directly on my hard top. Worked fine, I drove all over Colorado that way. Can't do that with the soft top, you'll need a separate rack of some type.

5) Less security and potential for more mischief (slicing the top).

6) Finally, the hardtop provides the ultimate top-down experience. Because when it's off, it's all off. You don't have frame and folded soft top in the way and sticking up on sides and especially in back. People can hop in and out standing on the sides, without damaging the soft top. It's just a cleaner more open situation with hard top removed, compared to the soft top folded down. Just don't get stuck in the rain with the hard top removed, lol.

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[Figmo]

Can’t speak specifically to Bronco - but I think you might be asking the wrong question.

I drove a JK Wrangler with a soft top exclusively for about 15 years here in western Montana. Similar climate to Colorado I would imagine - just a little longer winters. It was never an issue. Endured snow loads and below zero temps and never once wished I had a hard top because of winter driving.

Now “road noise”? Yeah…whole nother question. I had bluetooth in the Jeep but it was basically useless above 40mph due to road noise. I got used to it to the point where it really only bothered me sometimes.

I can imagine owning a Bronco is the same. You get used to it.

 

[najay]

how is the soft top different than any other convertible?

 

[El Bronco Blanco]

Ok, so hypothetically, if I were to drive from Phoenix to San Diego... Is my wife (who hates the Bronco, and I don't even have it), more likely to murder me over the noise in a soft top vs a hard top... or is it equally likely?

 

[Gramd]

One of Alberta’s coldest winters to date. We saw minus 45-50 *C some nights, no issue at all. It’s really not that loud on the highway, doesn’t leak a drop, easy to fold back at a red light. My only complaint about it is the plastic windows that scratch easy, and someone could break into it easier then the hardtop. I’m a big fan of the softie.

 

[HotdogThud]

To pile on to what others have said as well, noise aint bad, but heat loss is absolutely not an issue. The heat/AC system in the Bronco is the best I've had in any car I've ever owned. it's been dipping down to the low 30's here lately and it cranks out heat within 3-4 minutes of starting, and in the summer in phoenix, it can crank cold air hard enough that it will be uncomfortably cold inside the cabin when it's 115+ outside.

 

[HotdogThud]

Ok, so hypothetically, if I were to drive from Phoenix to San Diego... Is my wife (who hates the Bronco, and I don't even have it), more likely to murder me over the noise in a soft top vs a hard top... or is it equally likely?

equally likely, I hear the noise level in both is about the same above 75 anyways.

 

[PrepVet]

I live in north central Wisconsin and I never even considered a hard top. Why would I want to downgrade to that hassle? I am very happy with my soft top. No issues at all and I am in my second winter with it.

 

[TheSSBoz]

Echo above statements....

Soft top holds in heat and I can talk on the phone while driving at any speed. Noise is not an issue. And top all the way back in the summer is pretty amazing.


I am looking toward a hardtop just to carry stuff on the roof and build it out more overland...also honestly I wouldn't mind the rear wiper and defroster in the winter....

 

[Gassyjack]

I also deleted the MIC to expedite my order. Wind noise was the biggest issue, but added some pipe insulation where I could along the sides. Added a sun shade and put a heavy blanket over that as far out to the sides as I could and now it’s quieter than my wife’s Bronco with the MIC.
Keeping it warm is no issue. My biggest concern is security from break ins but if someone wants in they’ll break a window anyway.
I’ve come to really like the soft top.

 

[barracuda]

Temp is no issue. it’s perfectly fine with a foot of snow on top of it but loud as hell on the freeway. I found a thin mattress pad for a jeep wrangler that I believe will fit the back of the bronco. My intention is to get a Bimini and shove the mattress between the Bimini and the soft top as insulation though I’ve heard good things about the dirty dog headliner

 

[Copperhorse73]

Also, didn’t they say the wavy windows thing has been addressed/fixed by Ford for the 2023 models?

 

[TheShark]

I'm faced with this dilemma as well, I have a carryover '23 4dr WT on order, all the deadly sins, SAS, MIC, and Lux. I've been thinking about dropping the MIC, I might stand a better chance with only 2 deadly sins. I have a '21 2dr BL and have a Sunrider top I use most of the year, I took it off for winter. Since I'm in NC winter is generally mild and to be honest the wind noise with or without the Sunrider is about the same. I'm thinking the soft top can't be much louder than with the Sunrider. The only thing I think I would miss would be the rear defroster (which mine is broke, taking it in next week, one of the wires came loose and was floppy around) and the wiper. Since I like driving with the Sunrider popped back weather willing the soft top might not be a bad choice.

 

[1975U15]

10k miles with flaccid top in Utah. Second winter. Hindsight being 20/20 I’m glad I made switch from the dumpster fire HT and constraint mess. I was at Granger so probably still be in purgatory there if we didn’t change.

I thought someone did some noise level testing and found the HT was about same decibel as softie.

I applied the chemical brothers protectant and it still looks new.

No regrets making switch here. Good luck.

 

[Doomz]

I really regret not waiting for a hardtop. The main reason being once you get a soft top its nearly impossible to get a hardtop. Aftermarket prices are wild and I really do not like how the ADV looks. The main downside for me is that I much prefer the look of a hardtop and the lack of roof rack.

That being said the soft top is very well built and has never given me any issues in extreme weather. I hear the rattles and squeaks of the hardtop are really bad and the soft top does not have that problem.

Contrary to what others have said on this thread its hard to have a convo or listen to music or talk on the phone going above 65. And forget talking to anyone in the back going at highway speeds.

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